The Story

Toronto has welcomed thousands of newcomers to our communities. For these refugees, a new future includes integrating into a new culture and environment. This year, the second annual Syria Film Festival (SYFF), held in November, will celebrate our new community members through a spotlight on Syrian newcomers. We’ve been looking for films from around the world about Syrian refugees. What we are missing is one about our Toronto newcomers so we are producing one ourselves to play as part of our three-day festival!

One of the most inspiring newcomer initiatives has been the successful formation of a Syrian soccer team, the Syrian Eagles, made up exclusively of newcomers. Each player has been in Toronto less than a year. The Syrian Eagles team consists of 21 players of all ages and from all parts of Syria. Each Sunday they meet at the Eglington Flats fields to forget about politics and the stresses of a new life and play soccer with various other teams of the Muslim Soccer League.

The short documentary “Syrian Eagles” aims to create a portrait of one group of Syrian refugees and thus offering a rare glimpse into the day-to-day lives of newcomers to Toronto, while celebrating a great approach to integration via sports.

An experienced film team led by director, Aisha Jamal, will be producing the film. We need your help to bring this film to light! Your contribution to the film will cover the following costs: